Individuals
by Cryptographic DeLurk
Summary: They were brought before a monster in the middle of a withered, rotten forest. It wasn't the first indignity, and it wouldn't be the last. But, still... It was their first meeting. A requiem for Levin and Raksha – for the time when they were still different people. No pairings.
**_Individuals_**

by Cryptographic DeLurk

..

AN: This fic contains human trafficking, child abuse, and human sacrifice. Basically it fits right into canon.

And how does a precocious eight-year-old think? I have no idea.

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"A Sepp, _really_?"

"Is this _really_ going to be an issue?" The masked man sighed. He was bent over, drawing symbols on the ground with bright red paint. He tucked some stray strands of blond hair behind his ear, and craned his head and torso sideways. He looked expectantly at the monster, like it was being terribly uncooperative.

"It's a _Sepp_ ," the monster said. Its voice was loud and booming, but the words still came out sounding whiny.

"Yes, two Sepp _siblings_ ," the masked man said. He returned to his work, painting the symbols and circling around them slowly. "Do you know how hard it is to find a _pair_ of them these days? Birth rates are staggeringly low. We don't exactly have our pick of the bunch but, despite that, I was still able to assure you a _male_ one."

"But-" the monster protested.

"If _I_ were you, _I'd_ be thankful I had a friend with such a good rapport with Lobo, Sir Raksha," the masked man said pointedly.

"Ugh! _Fine_! I guess…" the monster said. Its gigantic arms shifted dangerously, but the masked man did not even act afraid.

Neither did Levin, but that was because he had long since learned not to show it. He rolled his eyes and held Euphoria's hand tighter.

He'd heard it all before. All these sickos liked to make a big deal out of it. Like they were doing him a _favour_ by overlooking the fact that he and his sister were Sepps. Like they hadn't _specifically_ asked for a Sepp. Like they wouldn't later run their fingers over the soft fur on Levin's and Euphoria's legs. Like any of it _mattered_ to the sickos that _used_ them.

 _They're going to kill us_ , Koen had said. _They've brought us all this way to kill us. One by one._

 _Shut up!_ Levin had shouted, and he punched Koen in the stomach, where nobody would see the bruise. Koen was a human and a snitch, and he had never hesitated to sell the rest of them out for even the slightest scrap of extra affection from their carers.

(Euphoria was also a snitch, but Levin would punch anybody who said so.)

(The bones in Levin's hands were fractured, from all the punching.)

But Levin was afraid. They had travelled a long way in the covered back of a wagon, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that this place was different. The halls on the way down to their cells had been too well-polished and grandiose, and even the smell of the place was different. Like lilacs and roast hotpods and sewage.

The others had disappeared, one by one. Until it was only Levin and Euphoria left alone in the cells.

 _He's right, you know,_ Euphoria had said softly. _They're going to kill us._

 _Shut up,_ Levin had said. But he shivered and Euphoria took his hand. And Levin had explained to her how she needed to run, as soon as the moment arrived. And Euphoria nodded and didn't volunteer another word.

She was quiet these days. Euphoria used to lord everything over him, and boss him around, and turn their parents against him with her crocodile tears and sweet-acting. Euphoria had been the worst sister. And she still was, but now their parents were dead, and Euphoria was the only one left. And the sickos liked her _better_ because she was a _girl_. So Levin had to take care of her when she came back, bleeding from where she shouldn't be, and he had to be nice when she didn't talk, and he hated _it_ and he hated _her_.

But he had clung to her when the masked man and his guards came for them. They were chained and shackled, and there had been no chance to escape – even though Levin scraped his nails against his sister's hand and willed her to run. The chains held them in place, as if by magic, so they couldn't escape even as the guards thinned out and dispersed on way into the wilderness, into the forest – a rotten purple forest with winding paths and no way out.

"Not much to say for yourselves, huh?" The monster laughed and craned its head down to look at Levin and Euphoria. The monster was at least fifty times their height, a true behemoth. And it looked like it was made of metal and iron, but its breath stank as much as any human's or Redflank's. "Hey, Dio, they're not _dumb_ too are they? Or mute?"

"I don't think so, Lord Raksha," the masked man reassured. "Lobo probably would have said so."

"Just scared then?" the monster sneered at them. "Not that I can blame you. Never seen a World Eater before? Afraid of the little taste I'll be taking of your souls?" The monster gnashed its teeth, inside its iron jaws. "The souls of adults are _so_ bland and _dry._ But the souls of children – if you'd ever had one, you'd know they were tender and _savoury_!"

Levin crushed Euphoria's hand in his, but he didn't hide the angry snarl that contorted his face.

They were all the same. Even this monster – trying to scare them and _shock_ them, like it was anything they hadn't seen before. Levin wouldn't give the monster the satisfaction.

The fact that Levin was scared. The fact that he was shocked. The fact that he hadn't ever seen a giant metal monster before, that he had no idea what was happening – that didn't factor into it.

Euphoria wasn't even looking at the monster. She was facing forward, but her eyes were turned sideways to look at the masked man. He was still splattering red paint on the ground, and had almost come full circle around them.

She leaned into Levin's shoulder.

"Do you think it's blood?" she whispered into Levin's ear. "It doesn't look like it, but-"

The masked man heard her, though, and he laughed. He squiggled his brush on the ground, one last time, and returned it to the pail.

"No, it's not blood," he reassured, grinning guilelessly at Euphoria. "Paint is enough in itself to complete the spell circle… But if you're worried about your friends, I wouldn't bother. Their sacrifice will be of use, far beyond the blood they could have given. You'll see that, soon."

"They're not my friends…" Euphoria whispered, quieter this time, so that only Levin could hear.

The masked man set aside his pail and reached for a staff he carried at his side.

Levin ground his hooves into the mossy ground. The chains weighed heavily on his legs. The atmosphere was shifting, and Levin wanted to scream at his sister to run, but she was held in place just as tightly as he was.

The monster groaned. "Are we ready then?" he prompted. "Ready to say goodbye, dearies?" he snickered at Levin and Euphoria.

The masked man sighed. "You won't die," he told them, before turning to the monster. "Start with the girl."

The masked man raised his staff. Three shining red jewels materialised around him. They looked like yokes, and Levin was afraid of what they were for, but there was no time to consider it.

Because next to him, Euphoria was shaking.

The monster stood up to its full height and roared, and Euphoria was changing. She was glowing a deep purple.

"L-Levin," she coughed.

"S-Sissss!" Levin cried, clinging to the front of her dress. He could feel a wave of energy pass harmlessly through him, but it stuck on Euphoria. It lifted Euphoria up, glowing black. It pulled her up so she hovered slightly above the ground, leaving her to strain against the weight of her shackles.

And then it passed through her.

Euphoria made sounds like she was choking, and a glowing orange orb ripped out from her throat and floated in the air above them. It shone bright against the cloudy sky and the black energy carrying it, and Levin's eyes followed and then…

The monster opened its jaws and ate it – swallowed it whole and gnashed its teeth.

"Delicious!" the monster declared.

Levin cringed and turned frantically back to Euphoria. Her feet were planted on the ground once more. She was breathing, if very faintly. She didn't seem hurt, but…

"Sis?" Levin quarried. Tears were pooling in his eyes.

The masked man waved his staff, and the shackles on Euphoria's legs came loose. He walked forward and held her up at the shoulder. He was chanting under his breath.

Levin startled, though. He grabbed Euphoria's hands tightly and scratched them, trying to signal her. Her shackles were free, and he was close enough to hold the masked man back if she tried to run. When she didn't respond, he scratched her hands more viciously.

Still, she failed to respond.

"Y-you're free, Sis!" he spat. "Like I _told_ you! Run! As soon as you get the chance!"

The masked man continued chanting, and he could hear the monster laughing, but Levin was furious.

"I told you to _run_ , dammit!" he cried, even though he knew Euphoria had only nodded at his plans earlier to placate him. "You _stupid_ \- I _told_ you! You never-"

The monster roared joyously. "That _accent_ ," it guffawed. "Haha! I hope _I_ don't end up talking like that!"

Levin ignored the monster. He shook his head and looked desperately up into Euphoria's eyes. They were blank, and not like before – when they had been distant, but also fearful, or kind, or mocking, or meek. Like always, Euphoria's eyes had none of the belief and the strength Levin needed them to have but, now, they probably never would.

"Dammit, Sis! I _told_ you! _Run_!" he commanded. He pushed at her chest, dislodging her from the masked man's grip. She didn't run, but fell flat onto the ground. Her arm scraped against the gnarled roots of a forest tree, but she didn't even cry out in pain.

Levin did, when the masked man kicked him to the ground and held him under his foot.

"Don't interfere! Do you want her to die?!" he commanded. The masked man pressed his foot threateningly against Levin's back, before letting up. He rushed to pick Euphoria up off the ground and brought her back inside the spell circle. The red jewels glowed around him, disappearing as he chanted out his spells.

The monster was still laughing, but now he stopped. "Your turn," the monster breathed. " _My_ turn," he corrected. "After all this time."

And then the same wave of energy as before washed over Levin – except this time, it didn't pass through him. It ripped him apart.

He collapsed against the energy.

"Sis!" he sobbed. "I'm not ready…"

 _Nothing had gone right. Passed around like a piece of trash, beaten and starved and humiliated, alone without his mother and father, and now without his_ sister _. None of it had gone right, but he didn't want to die. He still hadn't gotten enough out of his miserable life._

"I don't wanna die…" His words were so faint, even he couldn't hear them. He couldn't see, either. He wasn't sure he had eyes to see, or a mouth to talk, anymore.

 _Next time,_ he thought. _Next time, it'll go right. Next time, I won't let myself be pushed around and used and sold. Next time – it'll be_ my _turn!_

And then he was devoured.

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Raksha flexed his arms.

His new body was short, and scrawny, and it had more bruises than were comfortable. But it was a body he could _use_. Not like his clunky World Eater shell.

 _I can do whatever I want to in this_ , he grinned to himself. _No more taking orders from Gig or Drazil or anyone!_

He felt the horns on his head and stomped his feet against the ground. He felt almost overcome by the feeling of the wind and the night against his skin.

 _I pulled this off,_ he marvelled. _Hah! That'll show Gig who's_ dumb _muscle!_

( _I'm not stupid. I'm not stupid_ , he had to reminded himself, like thinking it could make him believe it.)

Raksha gnashed his teeth. The whole world had opened up to him – why couldn't he put his personal deficiencies aside for a day and just _enjoy_ it?!

(He already knew his being was piecewise, made of a couple of powerful souls Drazil had scrounged up from somewhere – fused together and ripped apart. A freak stitched together from uneven pieces. A weapon, born and bred.)

Raksha turned to look at his old body. It looked almost peaceful, lying there cold and empty. No, the deficiencies, the unrest, were something he carried with him, in his soul.

He turned away from the cold metal shell. "How's the girl doing?" he asked carelessly.

(His voice had no trace of the Sepp boy's accent. One godsent.)

Dio glared at him through the mask and finished his hymn before addressing Raksha.

"She's still alive, but I'm still working on restarting her digestive and immune systems," he scowled. "You were too hasty, Lord Raksha. You should have let me finish with the girl, before you consumed the boy."

"So I was overeager. Can you blame me?" Raksha shrugged. He crossed his arms behind his head and grinned widely, like a child.

"Perhaps not," Dio agreed, in a tone that made it clear he could and did. "But the time I lost moving your soul into that body may mean the girl never recovers completely… Keep in mind, this magic is highly experimental. A soul without a body, I have seen. But a body without a soul… who knows what the results of such a spell will be?"

(A living body, like a fertile pot of soil… In a living body, even the smallest remnants of a soul can take hold… and begin to grow…)

"If she dies we'll find another communication device." Raksha shrugged again. "Although, a second set of eyes would be useful…" he admitted.

He looked at the girl… almost… _fondly_?

Dio nodded in agreement and resumed his spellcasting. The Crimson Tears swung about him, fuelling his magic.

 _Sis… I don't wanna die. I don't wanna die_ , he heard, whispered inside his head.

Raksha blinked in surprise. It took him a moment to confirm it wasn't him.

 _Who are you?_ he thought.

But, it was strange, Raksha already knew the answer. He knew the name, even though nobody had ever told him.

Levin reeled, trying to perceive his situation.

 _It's you!_ Levin thought at him. _You're the monster! You killed Sis!_

 _You're still here?_ Raksha replied. _Impressive. Your soul must be pretty strong, to have held on for so long. Some of you mortals are harder to digest than others._

 _Why are you doing this?_ Levin cried. He was too hysterical to really be listening. _Why is this happening?! Why couldn't I have just gone to heaven, along with Mom and Dad?!_

 _You mean to Drazil?_ Raksha said. He was aware that the people of Haephnes worshipped something called the 'Gods of Apis'. But the details of their ignorant delusions escaped him.

 _Why did I have to go through all that? Only to die here and be stuck with you?!_ Levin cried.

 _You certainly seem more talkative now,_ Raksha grumbled, bored. He flexed his arms and legs again, to confirm he had complete control over his new body. He did. _You'll be gone soon anyhow. Shouldn't take more than an hour, and I'll have consumed you fully._

 _Damn you!_ Levin shouted, in his head. _Damn you to hell!_

The words sounded strange. And, suddenly, Raksha was struck with the fact that he was talking to a child. A wilful child, an angry child, a foulmouthed child who had seen far too much for his eight years – but a child nonetheless.

 _Damn you to hell!_ the child said.

 _Damn me to Drazil?_ Raksha laughed. _No, thanks. I've got no intention of letting that bastard get ahold of me again._

Raksha clenched his jaw. _This time… This time I'll get to them before they get to me! I won't let them make me into anything I don't want to be! This time… I'm going to be_ me _!_

 _Damn you! Damn you!_ Levin was shouting, but his voice was already receding.

Dio was chanting and, above them, the moon was finally rising above the treeline.

Euphoria was awake again, but Raksha knew that sleep and wakefulness meant little to a doll. And Euphoria was a _doll_. How else to explain the way the slavers bent her arms and legs over every which way?

(No, but he didn't remember that yet. How would he?)

Raksha felt suddenly angry. Soon Dio would finish his spells on the girl, and they'd walk out of Maize Forest together, and then… they'd continue their plotting. He turned away from Dio and Euphoria, to look up at the sky.

He couldn't hear Levin anymore. Raksha had predicted it would take no more than an hour for him to leave. But, in reality, it only took a couple of minutes and the boy was gone, dissolved into his bowels.

(In reality, the boy would never leave. He would seep into Raksha's memories and mind and mannerisms, until they were living a double-life as themself. And Raksha or Levin would pound his fists against the walls and refuse to admit it, because he was so upset to have _failed_ himself so _completely_.)

"We're done." Dio stood, and Euphoria with him. "I'll make preparations to seal up the forest."

Raksha blinked. He turned and nodded to Dio, and then stepped forward to take Euphoria's hand and lead her away.


End file.
